Macclesfield herbalist Woodside Apothecary celebrates first anniversary
A local businesswoman has seen business pick up this year, after she has marked year in practice.
Macclesfield medical herbalist Cath Couzens - who also lives in the town - has marked one year of her Woodside Apothecary business and had a busy start to 2024.
"I set up Woodside Apothecary at the end of 2022," said Cath.
"I used to run a PR agency and still do some freelance work, but my real love is herbal medicine.
"I have completed five years of training, and my course is accredited with the National Institute of Medical Herbalists which was set up in 1864.
"What led me to being a herbalist, is when I ran my own PR agency I became more and more stressed.
"I ended up in Macclesfield Hospital with terrible stomach pains.
"I was told I had a suspected gallstone and was in agony but all the scans were clear and the hospital couldn't find what was the root cause of the pain.
"I was on the maximum dose of morphine and tramadol, but it didn't touch the pain. I was in agony.
"Eventually, I was discharged and put on some medication and that didn't work either. I was really struggling to work.
"The pain itself was causing me further stress. I was desperate. And then a friend said to me 'Have you ever thought about going to see a medical herbalist?'
"At the time, I was really sceptical, how on earth would herbal medicine help?
"But I reluctantly went to see the herbalist and he gave me a tincture to take every day, a powder to take after meals and a herbal tea to drink
"Within about two weeks, I felt a lot better.
"There was a definite improvement in the pain, and a definite improvement in the digestion. I also felt far less stressed.
"And it opened the door to a whole world of medicinal plants, which I knew nothing about but I was fascinated by how much they'd helped and how much better I felt."
Cath then began her professional training which included clincial examinations, anatomy, physiology, nutrition an botany,
Fast-forward to today, Cath has 4000 hours of study behind her, 500 hours in patient facing training, and is now a fully-qualified practicing medical herbalist.
Common conditions she offers herbs for include eczema, stress, digestive and sleep issues.
Cath grows about 60 of her own herbs in her garden and allotment. She's also planted some herbs in the community garden on Wellington Street.
She also has an allotment that has been in her family for almost 100 years, and is the first woman to grow herbs on the plot.
Cath has more than 150 herbs in her dispensary. They are a mixture of tinctures, dry herbs, powders, which she capsules. She makes syrups, ointments and balms too. More unusual herbs that she grows include Southernwood, California poppy, and Bugle.
Cath does work with herbs overseas, but she enjoys working with herbs she grows herself, particularly those that people consider as weeds. With examples being dandelions and plantain. The latter being used as an antihistamine in Cath's tea blends.
"I love being a medical herbalist as it is using my brain in a totally different way but also amazing job satisfaction", added Cath.
"I am fascinated in learning even more about plants and their medicinal uses.
"I can't believe Woodside Apothecary has been going for more than a year. It has flown by.
"I've supported so many people and seen patients with autoimmune issues, migraines, IBS, brain fog to rare genetic heart conditions.
"Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who come to me in the past year for stress and anxiety. That is a lot more than when I began my training."
Woodside Apothecary has full insurance, and with Cath you have a friendly, understanding person to help you potentially feel better.
"As a medical herbalist, I try and treat the root cause. I want to resolve the problem, or support someone that they get a significant amount of improvement in their condition", explained Cath.
"I'm a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists and the Association of Naturopathic Practitioners. Many of my patients take significant amounts of prescribed medication so I always need to check any potential herb/drug interactions before prescribing herbal medicine. Everything is bespoke and individual to each patient whether it's a tea or a tincture."
Cath estimates 70% of the people she sees are taking medication, and often more than one medication.
"About 40% of the women I see in perimenopause are already taking HRT. Sometimes they don't feel it is helping with everything they're experiencing and are looking for additional holistic support," Cath said.
"A consultation is 90 minutes and a very thorough deep dive into your health history and all the systems of the body.
"Even if someone comes to me with high blood pressure, I am still going to look at their skin and ask about the other systems of the body. I'll ask them about how they sleep, their diet, digestion, allergies, medication and their past health history. Sometimes I have to refer patients back to their GP for further investigations or blood tests.
Cath offers a free 15 minute no-obligation discovery call on Zoom.
From there, you can choose if you wish to book a 90-minute consultation and herbal prescription plan.
"I have patients all over the country from Devon to Scotland as I provide online health consultations", said Cath.
"Typically, I work with patients for an average of three months.
"The age range of my clients is 18 to 70s. I am qualified to do children as well.
"My grandmother is a big inspiration to me, she lived at Woodside Cottage and that's what I named the business after. She used to make herbs, and her grandmother created a herb book in 1870, which I now have.
"Everyone has a different response to herbs, for some people it takes faster for sone it takes longer. Factors it can depend on is how long they have been dealing with that condition for.
"My message to the people of Macclesfield is that I am here to support them with their health conditions.
"The age range of my clients is from 17 to late 70s. I also work with a lot of stressed students too.
"My grandmother is a big inspiration to me, she lived at Woodside Cottage and that's what I named the business after. She used to make herbal remedies, and her grandmother had an old herb book from around 1870, which I now have.
"Everyone has a different response to herbs, that's why the training is so thorough and so detailed. Everything is bespoke for the individual to suit their individual condition
"My message to the people of Macclesfield is that I am here to support them with their health conditions.
"Herbal medicine can be really effective in supporting people's health. I love helping people feel better, there is no other job satisfaction like it."
This year has seen Cath launch Herb Club, this is a monthly gathering on a specific herb, with a tea tasting and guided meditation. More info HERE.
You can follow Woodside Apothecary on Facebook and Instagram.
Woodside Apothecary also has a website, where you can find more about their workshops held in Macclesfield and the local area.
Macclesfield: You can give Cath a call on 07843 382386, or email [email protected].
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